These Cold Corridors
by Viktor Mayrin
Summary: Prize fic from my 100 followers giveaway on Tumblr. A moment of truth for Lieutenant Pyrrha Nikos and Specialist Jaune Arc. Set in my Ghosts of the Stars AU. Arkos


These Cold Corridors

By Viktor Mayrin

_A/N: Shootthewizardfirt's request for my 100 followers Snippet Giveaway on Tumblr. He wanted a snippet of what Pyrrha and Jaune's relationship turns out to be in my _Ghosts of the Stars _verse_.

The _Emerald Beacon_ lumbered through space, only three of it five engines providing thrust. The outer rings spun slowly, generating artificial gravity and a sense of "normal" for the crew. Most of the lights, save for emergency strips the lined every corridor, had been turned off to reduce the strain on the fractured core. Most of the crew slept uneasily, the horrors of Deep Space and the brutal encounter with the Faunus Hegemony still fresh in their memories.

Pyrrha "stood" in the observatory, using her polarity manipulation to stay afloat, even if her legs had long since failed at that particular task. She'd wrapped herself in a several layers of thick clothing and a thick quilt she'd cobbled together from scarps of threadbare rags. The chill of space, however, still seeped into the carrier and permeated her bones. She shivered as she floated away from the observation window.

There was a familiar brush against her mind. Her walls shot up out of instinct rather than malice, and she quickly brought them back down and sent out her own tendril.

[_Sorry. I'm still a little shell-shocked.]_ She added. [_I didn't mean to shut you out._]

"It's fine." Jaune murmured as he entered the observatory. "I really should stop bridging without warning people first."

She gave him a tired grin. "Another entry on the exhaustive list of Things that Jaune needs to get around to doing?"

"One and the same, I'm afraid. It's become rather long. I might have to actually make a file and store it on the central mainframe."

They both smiled, giggles filling the silence. Pyrrha drifted next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hold me?"

Jaune blinked in surprise. "You sure? I thought-"

"Dammit Jaune." She huffed and shifted so she was facing him. "I'm _tired_."

She killed her polarity as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He let out a startled swear and slipped his arms under her thighs, neatly preventing the two of them from landing on the floor in a heap, though the quilt slid from Pyrrha's shoulders and pooled at Jaune's feet. He glowered at her, cheeks puffed out in indignation. "You've got to give me more warning than that."

She placed a kiss on his forehead. "Some telepath _you_ are."

"I thought you preferred that I stayed _out_ of your head." Jaune grumbled.

She rested her forehead against his. "Maybe I _want_ you in my head, but you distract me. Care to find out?"

Jaune quirked an eyebrow at her. "I _would_, but I also smell a trap." He rubbed his nose against hers. "But _really._ It's okay?"

She nodded. [_I'm open, Jaune._]

The connection was slow, just barely skimming her surface thoughts. Tentatively, it reached deeper into her psyche. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the bridge completed itself. Their thoughts mingled, sensations and memories zipping between them.

"_Wow_." Jaune breathed.

"Hey there." Pyrrha whispered. "Told you."

"You did." He agreed, a wry smile on his face. [Y_ou're beautiful_.]

[_I love you._] Pyrrha planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

Jaune's cheeks flushed a brilliant red as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. [_That's not fair._]

[_It's the truth_.] She ran her fingers through his hair. [_The whole truth. No walls, no screens, no mixed messages. Nothing but what is in here-_] she put one of her hands on her head and then pressed it to Jaune's chest, forcing him to look into her eyes again, [-_and in here._]

"I love you, Jaune." As she said the words, a thick knot of thoughts, memories, and sensations thrust itself into Jaune's mind. "And that's proof."

Jaune turned his head away quickly, though Pyrrha caught the wetness in his eyes. She traced the corner of his eyes gently, wiping away the sudden tears. She felt the surge of euphoria through the bridge, mixed with the bitter tang of anxiety. Jaune sniffed, and looked back into her eyes. "God, you're special." He mumbled. [_I love you, too._]

"A-_hem_."

They both tensed as they heard the voice. Lie Ren quirked an eyebrow at the pair. "Good evening, Lieutenant. Specialist."

"Reverend." Pyrrha nodded. [_His timing is uncanny_. _And unwanted._]

"Hello sir." Jaune added. [_It really is._] "What brings you to the observation deck so late?"

"The chapel was quite deserted, so I decided to take a walk. And the two of you?"

"Oh, you know. The cabins are so close, sometimes it's hard to think." Pyrrha rolled her eyes, lying through her teeth. "Looking out into the Deep helps with perspective."

The man nodded, accepting the lie for what it was. "Of course. Though maybe you could come to chapel every now and again. I'm always willing to listen to any problems you might have."

"I'll think about it."

"That is all I ask, Lieutenant. Have a pleasant evening. Specialist." He nodded to the both of them again and seemed to drift out of the room like a wraith.

As the door closed silently behind the man, they both visibly relaxed.

"Maybe we _should_ go back to the cabin?" Jaune asked. "If only so he doesn't walk in on us again."

"I think that is a _fantastic_ idea." Pyrrha responded as she placed a kiss just under his ear that was anything but innocent.

"Guuuh. You _can't_ do that if I'm carrying you." Jaune admonished her as he shivered.

"Mmm. Maybe you should hurry then." She mumbled the words into his neck.

Jaune chuckled as he walked purposefully into the corridors, carrying her as carefully as he would the most precious thing in the Deep.

End


End file.
